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There are three main bocce sport systems played today: Volo (Lyonnaise), Raffa, and Petanque.

All of these systems have some common characteristics and rules. However, the differences among them are significant and relate to types of shots, equipment, courts, rules, athletic elements, speed, etc.

Types of shots

A bowled delivery (Figure 7, 8, and 9), where a bocce ball is delivered underarm from a standing position to travel along the ground and stop as near as possible to the jack without touching the outer court lines.

A raised, lifted, or slided bocce ball, where a bocce ball is delivered underarm into the air in a parabolic arc and intended to stop as near as possible to the jack.

A throw (Figure 10, 11, and 12), is a bocce ball thrown underarm, from a run, into the air in a parabolic arc and intended to displace another bocce or jack on landing.

Equipment

Metallic bocce balls (Figure 13), wooden jack, and measure.

World organization

World Bocce Federation (Federation Internationale de Boules - FIB).

Types of shots

A bowled delivery (Figure 7, 8, and 9), where a bocce ball is delivered underarm from a standing position to travel along the ground and stop as near as possible to the jack without touching the outer court lines.

A raised, lifted, or slided bocce ball, where a bocce ball is delivered underarm into the air in a parabolic arc and intended to stop as near as possible to the jack.

A throw (Figure 10, 11, and 12), is a bocce ball thrown underarm, from a run, into the air in a parabolic arc and intended to displace another bocce or jack on landing.

Types of shots

A bowled delivery (Figure 7, 8, and 9), where a bocce ball is delivered underarm from a standing position to travel along the ground and stop as near as possible to the jack without touching the outer court lines.

A throw (Figure 10, 11, and 12), is a bocce ball thrown underarm, from the circle, into the air in a parabolic arc and intended to displace another bocce or jack on landing.

Besides the three described bocce sport systems, there is also a fourth one, so-called English bocce or lawn bowling. This game is played on grass with large eccentric wooden or synthetic balls.

The national bocce sports federations from all five continents (Figure 16) are members of the World Bocce Federation (FIB) which is headquartered in France. The world championships are held on different continents every two years.

The leading countries in the bocce sport (both for men and women) are France, Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia. China, Australia, and some other countries made extraordinary progress, seriously competing for the world’s top-ranking positions and already have won many world championship titles.

International standards relating to courts, equipment, and game rules are written in the FIB Bocce International Technical Rules (ITR) and other regulation manuals issued by the World Bocce Federation (Federation Internationale de Boules - FIB).

Each country member of the World Bocce Federation (FIB) publishes their own competition rules that have to be aligned with International Technical Regulations and other FIB rules.